Combined knife and fork.



Y. HASHIGUCHI.

COMBINED KNlFE AND FORK. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5. 1918.

Patented July 16, 1918.

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YOSHIO I-IASI-IIGUCHI, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

COMBINED KNIFE AND FORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1918.

Application filed March 5, 1918. Serial No. 220,645.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, YosHIo HASHIGUCHI, a subject of the Emperor of Japan, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Combined Knives and Forks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the art of manufacturing wooden knives and forks of the form commonly constructed of bamboo or similar material and known as picnic knives and forks.

The object of my invention is to provide a knife and fork of this class that are formed of an integral piece of bamboo or similar material and are left connected together at one point by a small integral piece of the material of which they are formed so that they may easily be broken apart when they are to be used but are more compact for shipping than separate knives and forks and are more easily and quickly handled and kepit in pairs when they are counted out and sol A further object of my invention is to provide a knife and fork of this type of construction that may be fashioned from a straight piece of bamboo with very little waste material.

My invention consists in the novel form of construction by which a knife and fork of the correct shape are fashioned from a single piece of material and. are left connected by a small section of the material that is of sufiicient strength to hold the two pieces together for shipment and handling but is easily broken when the knife and fork are to be used.

I accomplish these objects by devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a knife and fork constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the knife and fork; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in cross-section of the same on broken line 4:, 4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference numerals indicate like parts the numeral 5 designates the blade of a knife that is sharpened to form a cutting edge 6 and is provided on one end with a handle 7 8 designates the handle of a fork that is widened at its forward end as at 10 and is provided with sharpened tines 11 of the usual form.

As shown in the drawings the end of the knife blade 5 is connected with the fork handle 8 adjacent the widened portion 10 by a small integral section 12 of the mate rial of which the knife and fork are formed, the section 12 being of suflicient strength to hold the knife and fork together while they are being handled but being adapted to break easily when the handle of the knife and the handle of the fork are pulled apart.

To facilitate the ease with which the knifeand fork may be broken apart and to insure a smooth square end for the knife a notch 14 is provided in the material at the end of the knife blade as more clearly shown in Fig. 3. The notch 14 is of a depth substantially equal to the thickness of the knife blade so that no breaking crosswise of the grain of thewood is required to separate the knife from the fork, the only break being in the nature of a split lengthwise of the grain through the section 12.

In the construction of this knife and fork the two will preferably first be shaped from a single piece of bamboo or similar material and after that are so shaped a cut as indicated by the numeral 15 will be made with a thin saw or other sharp tool to-sever the handle of the fork from the knife throughout the greater portion of its length, such cut terminating just before it intersects the notch 14: and thereby leaving the section 12 that secures the two pieces together.

If desired notches 16 may be provided in the blade of the knife to make it cut more easily when used on bread or similar materia It is obvious that changes in the shape and in the general form of construction of the knife and fork herein shown may be resorted to within the scope of the following claim.

What I claim is: A device of the class described, comprising a knife and fork that are formed of a 5 cent the fork tines With the tip of the knife I blade by a small integral section of material and the tip of the knife blade being separated from the tine portion of the fork by a notch whereby the knife and fork may be easily split apart.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 25th day of February, A. D.

Yosmo HASI-IIGUCHI. V

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner oflatents,

' Washington, D. G. 

